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Monday, March 29, 2010

How many little piggies do you have in your house? We have lots if you are talking toes!
Let's see, we have 10 mommy piggies, and 10 papa piggies, then we have 60 wee piggies! 10 of which are boy piggies!

As you can see we have quite the herd of piggies here!
Good thing they are clean huh? LOL!

With all my little girls we LOVE nail polish at our house...ok, really we obsess about it. :)
We paint at least once a week. so really we use lots of nail polish.
I like to think I am slightly "crunchy" *Hubs won't let me go to the extreme though!
So when I heard about a nail polish that is natural I was way excited about that.
Have you heard ofPiggy Paint?

This stuff is great! They claim it is as "Natural as Mud"! How cute and appropriate- I love it!

So how did we like it?
Ohhh.... We like it! WE LOVE it!!!!
This is a great nail polish for little piggies and big piggies alike. :)
It dries super fast. The kids love it because it has a cooling effect as it cools, then they know when it is dry...when the cool feeling goes away. It is fast enough for my 3 yr old and my 11 yr old alike.
We have used this lots at our house.
so... the nail polish doesn't smell bad, that is nice and Hubs appreciates that. The nail polish lasts a few weeks on my toes, that is a test of a good polish to me. It does wear off the finger nails fairly fast though, but... who wants the same color for more than a few days? LOL!
This polish goes on fairly easy, it goes on a thin coat, but as I said dries super fast so 2 coats is easily done in a few minutes for a great look!

Here is an introduction to the company and mama behind it:My name is Melanie Hurley, founder of Piggy Paint™. I am a stay-at-home mom with two very fancy little girls, ages 2 and 4, who love to have their fingernails painted. I’ve always hated the thought of my kiddos putting their hands in their mouths after I painted their nails with traditional kid polishes. Not only did the ingestion of the chemicals worry me, but the smell nearly left me light-headed after painting two sets of fingernails and toenails.One day while we were painting nails over a foam plate, my daughter dropped a glob of her solvent-based polish onto the plate. Shortly after, the paint began to bubble and “ate” through the plate. I looked in dismay at the hole in the plate and decided to test all of her other “kid” polishes on the foam. Within minutes, ALL of the solvent-based polishes began to bubble and eventually left big holes in the plate. From that day on, I decided that any flammable substance that could eat through foam was unacceptable for my children’s fingernails, which would inevitably end up in their mouths.My quest was on, and Piggy Paint™ was born. As you may have guessed, our polish is NOT flammable and sits beautifully on the unaffected foam. We hope you enjoy this water-based polish that is specially formulated of natural ingredients. Finally, a kid-friendly polish without the accompanying drawbacks of traditional polishes. It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone... and made in the USA!

So wanna see what we did with it?

See all those cute little piggies? Fun huh?

There you have it... lots of polish, lots of piggies, lots of FUN!

So I know you wanna get some for your little one, or even better... for yourself!
Run your little piggies over to Piggy Paint and buy some with a 10% discount!
Use the code: NIFTY10L *expiration April 30, 2010Spend over $35 and domestic shipping is FREE!

You can also WIN some :)
Piggy Paint is offering a $15 gift code to one LUCKY WINNER!

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! <------

I can't contact you unless you leave contact info. So you either need to leave your mail address in each entry , or you have to have contact info on your profile! If I can't contact you I will pick another winner!

Also you must leave a comment for every entry separately. ex. If you If you comment on my blog you need to leave 3 separate comments saying where you commented!

for the tweeting entries leave your URL... don't know how to do that? After you tweet click on your profile then under you tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted, click on it. There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment.

I will check the winning entry! If it isn't legit I will pick another winner!

REQUIRED entries:
visit Piggy Paintand come back here and comment on which item you would like to try... Also I want to know if you are a bright fun polish color or a muted polish color! :)

K, now for the extra entries: if it says 3 entires you need to leave 3 comments!

3-entries: become a fan on Piggy Paint Facebook page3-entries: follow Piggy Paint on twitter @piggypaint1-entry: follow me on twitter @myniftynappy2-entries: 1st Tweet about this giveaway... tweet this Want PrettyPiggies? Win a GC for natural polish by @piggypaint in #SPRINGFLINGEVENT on @myniftynappy ends 4/6 http://bit.ly/prettypiggies1-entry: you can get 1 entry for 2 tweets a day-must be at least 4 hrs apart *leave tweet URL!3-entries: blog about this giveaway using a link to my blog and also the Piggy Paint webpage come back and leave a link1-entries: grab my blog button 1-entry: grab my webpage button 10-entries: Make a purchase from Piggy Paint! *don't forget your 10% off code!

This giveaway has ended. Congrats to Jill the winner!Don't forget to use the discount code!

Friday, March 26, 2010

K, so you guys know how much I LOVE wool right? If you don't... where have you been? I talk about woolI shop for woolI tweet about woolI blog about woolI craft with woolI play with woolI browse though woolI sell things made with woolI wear woolShoot, I even dream about wool

So now you know, if you didn't before, how obsessed I am with wool! So when I hear about a new way to use wool I am super excited! I jumped at the wool baby legs - and loved them! I was super excited when I learned I could do needle felting and make wool toys for my kids. So of course when I stumbled on Shelly's Green Belle Designs on etsy I was so super ecstatic! I had found another way to try to use wool!

Aren't they beautiful? Mine are about baseball size. My wool balls are made with natural wool that Shelly has wound and felted. She also makes them cute and colorful too though! They are cute and soft!

My baby likes to play with them, I always have to go looking for them when it is laundry time. I recommend having at least 2 sets, on for play and one for drying! LOL! They are the perfect size for little hands. I love that these are a great toy for my baby to play with AND they are natural.

I am excited that Shelly will also be adding more

Amigurumi Crocheted Wool Toys

to her selection of items!

So shall we see what Shelly has to say about her products? Wool dryer balls work like the plastic PVC balls only they are eco friendly not harmful plastic chemicals and they are soft so they won't damage/tear your clothes, and are much quieter. They won't leave a residue like dryer sheets...and again no nasty chemicals to harm you or your family.They can cut down drying time by getting in between the clothes. You need 2-3 balls to get you started, but it is recommended that you use at least 6 balls in a large load to cut your time by almost half! This can save you a lot of $$, time, and energy.They absorb static and soften your clothes at the same time. They won't bleed and are even safe for cloth diapers.You can put a drop or two of your favorite essential oil is you want a little added fragrance.As an added bonus...in between loads you can let your kids and or pets play with them...my kids love them and so do I because they help me make them and they are soft and won't hurt and or break anything.

A Little about Shelly herself:

I love to create. I am a Stay at Home Mom of 3 little kiddos (and 1 niece 2x a week). I have worked and gone to college (for fine arts and a bit of everything else...) up until I had little ones so to sit around and clean and cook all day was hard...so I turned to creating! I love it, I can help support my family financially and take care of my babies at home! I make all of my items in an eco/green process. Meaning I take old used discarded materials and make them new again. I make items that are good for the environment, like wool dryer balls (that are safe for cloth diapers) instead of dryer sheets or pvc balls, and recycled cloth grocery bags instead of using plastic bags or buying the stores bags that aren't made out of recycled materials. What I can't use that has been recycled (ie. thread, needles, etc) I try to buy as local as I can, often less than a mile from my house at a locally owned fabric store.

Super fun huh? I am so excited about offering you guys some of these! I have to tell you about mine first though. When we got them they were a little musty smelling, but if you check out Shelly's policies she does say that this will be the case until they are 100% dry which can take a few drying's. So I pushed on, and we threw them in a batch of the kid's clothes. The wool balls didn't clank around in my dryer like the plastic balls can. Score 1 for the WOOL! So after the clothes were dry... which actually really does take less time with the wool balls (Score 2 for the WOOL!) ... I took them out and gave them a feel. I hate stiff clothes, and these were not stiff! Whoo-hoo!! Score 3 for the WOOL!!! So, in the end -my clothes.... I am super super annoyed with static cling! I hate when my pants and skirts cling to me -also my "unmentionables" -I HATE static! It is the ONLY reason I have kept using nasty chemical laden dryer sheets! So, did the wool dryer balls work?YOU BETTER BELIVE IT! It was so awesome! I am so super excited about that! Even my hubs said just tonight that the best thing about the wool balls is that we don't have to use THOSE dryer sheets any more! He really is "greener" than he wants to admit! LOL! So now we are working on Score 4 and 5 for the WOOL!

So I know you want to have some of your own! If you can't stand to wait and see if fate deals you a good hand or not you do have an option! Get some NOWYou can visit Shelly's etsy shop Green Belle Designs and pick up some right now!

Or you can enter and then cross your fingers! :) WIN some HERE!!! You can win 3 natural Wool Dryer Balls:

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! <------

I can't contact you unless you leave contact info. So you either need to leave your mail address in each entry , or you have to have contact info on your profile! If I can't contact you I will pick another winner!

Also you must leave a comment for every entry separately. ex. If you If you comment on my blog you need to leave 3 separate comments saying where you commented!

for the tweeting entries leave your URL... don't know how to do that? After you tweet click on your profile then under you tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted, click on it. There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment.

I will check the winning entry! If it isn't legit I will pick another winner!

REQUIRED entries: visit Green Belle Designson etsy and come back here and comment on which item you would like to try. K, now for the extra entries: if it says 3 entires you need to leave 3 comments! 2 entries: follow Shelly's blog2-entries: because I love comments...comment on Shelly's blog (let me know where)2-entries: because I love comments too... new comment somewhere on my blog *not a giveaway (let me know where)2-entries: let's spread the word...grab Green Belle Designsbutton

Monday, March 22, 2010

I must admit that with all the amazing looking product that Norwex has Danielle pick the Microfiber Clothto send to me.

I mean, come on I have microfiber clothes. I actually have lots of them since I used to use them for my pocket diaper inserts. Really, with all the cleaners and personal hygiene items I got another microfiber cloth? To tell you the truth, I took it out and took pictures of it, and then put it back in the package. It sat there for a few weeks. I really was having a hard time getting excited about this review.

I finally took it out and told Hubs that we NEEDED to use this so I could review it. Hubs was the first one to use it. He is pretty hesitant about microfiber at all. It sticks to his fingers and he doesn't like the feel of it. After he used it he said, "It didn't really stick at all, and it works pretty good."

Pretty good? Pretty good?

Wow, that is an understatement! I LOVE this cloth! In fact I need like 5 more so I can throw away all my nasty washcloths! This microfiber cloth has cleaned off my table, my stove and my counters. And my table is quite the feat let me tell you. I usually have my big girls (11 and 10) clear off and wipe down the table. So you know how well the table has been cleaned off lately. *hahaha!

The other day I needed it really clean so I could spread out my hemp and bamboo and do some cutting. I grabbed the microfiber cloth to give it a good challenge, and after scrubbing for 5 min. I had a CLEAN table! All the caked on gunk on the kids' side of the table came right off with a tab bit of elbow grease, water and this Microfiber cloth! I usually have to wet the entire edge of the table down, let the water sit there for a few minutes then I have to get my pampered chef stone scrapper out and scrape the gunk off the table. I hate doing this because the water sitting on the table is so not good for it since it is a wood table! There is more though, wanna hear more?

Danielle told me that all you need for this is water, NO soap! Just water! So I decided to see how long it would go without washing before it started to stink. You know those nasty wash-clothes that really you can only use once and then they start to smell, I hate them! So if in the end just rinsing it out with water would work, how long would it last? Wanna guess? 3, 5, 7 days? Try like two weeks!

Amazing huh? We rinse it out after each use and hang it over the sink edge. It hasn't started smelling yet! I guess it has silver woven into it so that is what makes it anti-bacterial. I really do love this! I am so buying more with the awesome discount Danielle is offering you guys!

So Danielle sent me a little write up about the Microfiber cloth:

Norwex offers the most innovative microfiber in the industry. Our antibacterial microfiber cloths are a minimum of 1/100 the size of a human hair, other brands are as a little as 1/6 the size of a human hair. Norwex cloths are FDA and EPA approved and contain an environmentally friendly antibacterial agent-silver. These cloths are meant to replace all of your household chemicals when used simply with water (no more Mr. Clean, Comet, Fantastic, Windex, etc). Thus dramatically reducting chemical use and exposure, saving money and most importantly, resulting in a healthy environment. The cloths grab the germs, bacteria and other particles and suck them into the microfiber like a vacuum. Thus leaving a clean and sanitized surface. It is so fast and easy, and my kids can help too without me worrying about them touching chemicals!

So now I will introduce Danielle and Norwex

Who is the mastermind behind your products? Who is the inspiration?

Personal care products are new to Norwex. Norwex enviro products searched long and hard for personal care products that were authentically organic and did not contain certain key "bad" ingredients. Their personal care line originates from Israel and is ECO-CERT certified. There are many definitions and criteria used to define natural and organic products and the use of the term "organic" on personal care labels is not regulated in the same way as it is for foods. This can make it difficult for consumers to identify truly organic personal care products. This is one reason why all of our new personal care products are not simply labelled natural or organic, but are actually ECO-CERT certified organic. ECO-CERT is considered to be the most important organization in Europe in setting the criteria for natural and organic cosmetics-their requirements for an organic product are as follos:

-A minimum of 10% of the total ingredients must be certified organic;

-at least 95% of the ingredients must be of vegetable/plant origin; and while the product may contain a maximum of 5% synthetic ingredients, none of these must be included on the negative list (mineral oil and silicon, synthetic emulsifiers like PEG, viscosity controlling agents like carbomer, preservatives such as formaldehyde releasers, parabens or phenoxyethanol, synthetic perfumes, synthetic dyes, and synthetic solvents like propylene glycol. In addition, the Swiss plant extracts used in our products are also certified organic by Bio Suisse (by far the most important seal for organic products in Switzerland and requirements are more strict than even those of the European Union).

How long have you been selling your product?

These products are relatively new to Norwex (came out in the summer of 2009).

What do you love most about your product?

I love the fact that it is truly organic, and made from natural ingredients (including orange and lemon peel). You can feel the olive oil moisturize your skin and it smells delightful!

What makes your product stand out from the rest? *brag about it, it is ok! :)

Enriched in Dead Sea salts, the Olive Oil Salt Scrub is an organic cleansing scrub that contains grains that remove dead skin cells, giving skin a smooth look and velvet touch. The essential oil inspires a lingering sense of ease and relaxation. It contains no preservatives and is perfume free. It is wonderful on your legs and feet too!

We actually have a different item for giveaway than the item I reviewed...
This is what Danielle said about the Giveaway item!

YUM! This salt scrub is delectable. I tried it for the first time a couple of months ago, it is a newer product for Norwex. The fresh citrus scent, combined with the sea salt and olive oil leaves you feeling refreshed and clean. This scrub is all natural, and is abrasive so when used gently it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. It is not drying, like some scrubs, because the olive oil lingers even after you have washed the scrub off. This scrub is ECOCERT regulated, thus using some of the highest standards for organic regulation. The actual ingredient list is as follows: Sea Salt, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Duclis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (lemon) Oil*, Tocopheryl Acetate.
The ingredients with the * after the name are ingredients proceeding from Organic Farming. None of the Norwex products are tested on animals.
I keep it by my kitchen sink and use it quite regularily. I also tried it on my legs in the bath. Love this product!
Check out my site for more truly organic personal care products.www.thenorwexchick.com

Buy some amazing products for yourself:Danielle is offering the biggest discount of any of my participants! She is offering you guys a 25% discount off any item in her shop! This generous offer will extend for a little more than one month! It will work now till the end of April.The code that you need to use to get this discount is code: NIFTY25Visit her shop The Norwex Chick to see what other great items she offers. There is something for everyone. *****You must enter the giveaway to get the discount! We will double check!

Or you can enter to win the Olive Oil Salt Scrub (retail $39.99 and a coupon code for 25% off with free shipping!)

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! <------

I can't contact you unless you leave contact info. So you either need to leave your mail address in each entry , or you have to have contact info on your profile! If I can't contact you I will pick another winner!

Also you must leave a comment for every entry separately. ex. If you If you comment on my blog you need to leave 3 separate comments saying where you commented!

for the tweeting entries leave your URL... don't know how to do that? After you tweet click on your profile then under you tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted, click on it. There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment.

I will check the winning entry! If it isn't legit I will pick another winner!

REQUIRED entries: visit The Norwex Chickand come back here and comment on which item you would like to try. K, now for the extra entries: if it says 3 entires you need to leave 3 comments! 2 entries: follow Danielle's blog2-entries: because I love comments...comment on Danielle's blog (let me know where)2-entries: because I love comments too... new comment somewhere on my blog *not a giveaway (let me know where)2-entries: let's spread the word...grab The Norwex Chick'sbutton

2-entries: become a fan on Danielle's facebook page---> did the link wort for you?2-entries: follow Danielle on twitter @thenorwexchick1-entry: follow me on twitter @myniftynappy2-entries: 1st Tweet about this giveaway... tweet this Win an amazing Olive Oil Salt Scrub for @thenorwexchick in the #SPRINGFLINGEVENT by @myniftynappy plus 25% discount http://bit.ly/norwex 1-entry: you can get 1 entry for 2 tweets a day-must be at least 4 hrs apart *leave tweet URL!3-entries: blog about this giveaway and come back and leave a link1-entries: grab my blog button 1-entry: grab my webpage button 10-entries: Make a purchase from The Norwex Chick!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Another review, have I mentioned how fun these are, do you guys like them? How have I done so far?

This next giveaway has already been introduced once, but she decided she like you guys so much she would offer another just in time for easter! :) Introducing her latest addition to the family... The Root Babies:

See it is a handful of roots! :) They fit perfectly in tiny hands, and are also loved by big kids too!

Throw one, or three, in a pocket and away you go. You can get these for you little one to help them remember they are not alone. This is a fun and cute way for them to carry your love with them all the time. Isn't it adorable?

Who is the mastermind behind your products? Me- okay, not really, waldorf inspired dolls and shoes are nothing new

Who is the inspiration? my children

How long have you been selling your product? 2 months

How has your product evolved from the fist time you made it? Has it changed in design or anything? My bodies and heads are made better! And I am going to be making my dolls with cotton velour so they'll be all natural. I have also added the fun little root babies.

What do you love most about your product? It's fun, it's cute, it appeals to just about everyone. It always puts a smile on someone's face. It is a way to express myself and a chance to do something I love.

What makes your product stand out from the rest? *brag about it, it is ok! :) My mini dolls are just adorable. I use fun colors, the prints of my fabric (many scraps I get from Vilate) are as cute as can be. I try to make something for everyone. I just love the idea that I can bring a smile to someones face, and brighten their day.

My kiddos all have one of Saskia's snuggles. They absolutely LOVE them! They play with them all the time, D-Doo sleeps with hers, and my little Miracle carries her's all over the place! I think my big girls have been sneaking them to school. LOL!
So Saskia thought that the last giveaway went so well and she thought that she would offer you a chance to win a Snuggles and a Root Baby

How fun to see these in your Easter basket on Easter morning? Well, you can buy some to be sure you have some to fill the baskets in your house by visiting Saskia's etsy shop and using the discount she is offering for my readers! Get 10% off your purchase in Saskia's etsy shop during the week of this giveaway (3/18-3/26) They are already a great price for the effort and the supplies she puts into these! *the discount does not apply to sale on her shoes! You MUST enter the Giveaway to use this discout!
Just include the code Niftysnuggles in the comment to seller and she will refund you your discount.

You can also have a chance to win:REQUIRED entries: visit sunflowerradiantlove which is Saskia's etsy shop come back here and comment on which doll is your favorite. follow my blog!K, now for the extra entries: if it says 3 entires you need to leave 3 comments! 2 entries: follow Saskia's blog HERE.2-entries: because I love comments...comment on Saskia's blog (let me know where)2-entries: because I love comments too... new comment somewhere on my blog *not a giveaway (let me know where)2-entries: let's spread the word...grab Saskia's NEW etsy buttonand put it on your blog *it's new, gotta grab this one!

2-entries: even more word spreading...grab Saskia's blog button and put it on your blog1-entry: heart Saskia's etsy page (click the add seller to favorites on the right)1-entry: heart your favorite doll in Saskia's etsy shop (on item page click add item to favorites on the right)2-entries: become a fan on Saskia's facebook page1-entry: follow me on twitter @myniftynappy2-entries: follow Saskia on twitter @saskiabutterfly2-entries: 1st Tweet about this giveaway... tweet this Win a #waldorf inspired doll from @saskiabutterfly and a new "root-baby" in the @myniftynappy #SPRINGFLINGEVENT http://bit.ly/rootbaby1-entry: you can get 1 entry for 2 tweets a day-must be at least 4 hrs apart *leave tweet URL!3-entries: blog about this giveaway and come back and leave a link1-entries: grab my blog button 1-entry: grab my webpage button 10-entries: purchase a doll from Saskia's etsy shop!

About Us

We are a homegrown company. Vilate is the mother of 6 kiddos and is dedicated to cloth diapering. She spent years coming up with the perfect pattern and fabrics. Now we have the perfect diaper to show for all those years! :)